How about adding a special participant for this year's half-Marathon?
Beijing to host historic marathon event to be attended by human and robot runners in April
By Zhang Weilan Published: Jan 21, 2025 03:33 PM
The
2024 Beijing Yizhuang Half Marathon began on November 10, 2024. The
"Tiangong" robot, serving as a "closing rabbit" (a pacer who encourages
and motivates runners to keep going), crossed the finish line alongside
participants. Source: english.beijing.gov.cn
China is preparing
for a groundbreaking event in April, as it hosts the world's first
marathon to feature human and humanoid robot runners together, the
Global Times learned from the event organizer, Beijing
Economic-Technological Development Area, on Tuesday.
For the
first time, dozens of humanoid robots will participate in a
half-marathon to be held in Beijing's Daxing district. Some 12,000
participants will take part in the race, with robots from more than 20
companies running alongside them on the 21km route, according to local
authorities.
The top three finishers, whether human or robotic,
will receive prizes, according to the organizer. Companies, research
institutions, robot clubs, and universities will participate in the
marathon with their humanoid robots. Remote-controlled and fully
autonomous robots are eligible, and operators may replace batteries
during the race.
The marathon will feature robots developed by
over 20 companies, each meeting criteria that include a humanoid form
and the capability to run on two legs. The humanoids must also be
between 0.5 meters to 2 meters tall.
Among the notable
participants is "Tiangong," a humanoid robot developed by China's
Embodied Artificial Intelligence Robotics Innovation Center, which
previously ran at the Yizhuang Half Marathon in Beijing, Xinhua News
Agency reported.
The integration of robots in marathons is
becoming an increasing trend. Wei Jiaxing, marketing director of
Tiangong's developer, told the Global Times on Tuesday that Tiangong, a
humanoid robot with an average speed of 10 kilometers per hour, will
participate in the race. "It will compete from start to finish in an
official marathon for the first time," according to Wei.
China is
positioning itself at the forefront of humanoid robot innovation.
Taking Beijing as an example, the city is preparing for more robot-based
competitions, including the inaugural World Humanoid Robot Sports Games
later this year.
Beijing plans to hold in August the games'
main events where humanoid robots will be the competitors, along with
sideline events focusing on human-robot interactions. The main events
will include major categories such as track and field, soccer,
application scenarios, and integrated skills, the Global Times learned
from the official website of the Beijing municipal government.
In
2025, Beijing plans to prioritize the development of future industries
including humanoid robots, commercial space, biomanufacturing and new
materials, according to the government work report presented to the
third session of the 16th Beijing Municipal People's Congress on January
14.
"US tech companies, such as Tesla and NVIDIA, have certain
advantages in areas like precise upper limb manipulation and operational
capabilities, as well as in high-end chip manufacturing and cloud
computing services," Yao Qiyuan, marketing manager of the Shenzhen-based
EngineAI Robotics Technology Co, told the Global Times on Monday,
adding that while Chinese companies excel in motion control technologies
and the creation of advanced AI models, offering a wide variety of
application scenarios.
"If we compare the humanoid robotics
industry to a marathon, China and Western counterparts are all within
the first 1,000 meters of the starting line," Jiao Jichao,
vice-president and executive dean of UBTech Robotics' research
department was quoted by Xinhua as saying.
Yao also noted that
humanoid robots have applications beyond running marathons. They have
potential in areas such as intelligent manufacturing, medical care, and
the service industry. Success depends on reducing costs and expanding
application scenarios, he added.
China's humanoid robot industry
has experienced rapid growth in recent years. In 2023, China installed
about 276,300 robots, representing 51 percent of global installations,
according to the International Federation of Robotics. The nation's
robotics industry is projected to grow to 400 billion yuan ($55 billion)
by 2030.
According to local media outlet Shanghai Observer
reports, Shanghai is actively promoting the development of the humanoid
robot industry ecosystem, with several unicorn companies such as Fourier
Intelligence, Agibot or Zhiyuan Robotics, emerging in the sector.
Agibot shared footage of its manufacturing facility on its official
website, which reportedly has produced 1,000 general-purpose embodied
humanoid robots so far.
On the global stage, Tesla's bi-pedal
humanoid robot Optimus is capable of navigating uneven terrain utilizing
neural networks to manage its electric limbs, the company's CEO Elon
Musk posted on X on December 2024. Musk has also predicted that by 2040,
the global use of humanoid robots will exceed 10 billion.
Global Times